It's About Time
by Eternalmetalhead
Summary: Post Book 4 - After dancing around each other for years, Kya and Lin finally talk about something they've been avoiding for far too long. Kyalin, background Korrasami and references to past Linzin. Rated T again, still a chance of it going to M later though. Angst? Fluff? You'll just have to read it... :P Femmeslash - don't like? Don't read, simple as that.
1. Chapter 1 - The Wedding

**Chapter 1 – The Wedding**

 **EDIT 12/09/15: This chapter has been updated with the new format so that it's not all blocky and shit :P hope that makes it slightly easier to read :)**

"….you may now…. _do the thing_!" Bolin pronounced, sealing the vows of the newly wed Varrick and Zhu Li with the groom's favourite expression. From a distance, the Chief of Police Lin Beifong cringed at the cheesiness of the whole damn event. _What does she even see in him?_ She wondered, as the couple threw themselves at each other with great gusto. In an effort to maintain her grim persona she had to stifle a giggle when Zhu Li dipped her new husband, the role reversal amusing her greatly.

 _Okay, I suppose they do make an adorable couple. But, still…_ Her thoughts trailed off, and she took that moment to internally reinstate her professional mindset. _Here comes the hard part,_ she thought, as the guests started to move out towards the Air Temple grounds for the after party. Or, more accurately, as most of the guests sidled towards the cash bar the newlyweds had hired for the event.

The hard part was not what Lin expected – namely, handling the some of the world's most powerful benders while they drank themselves stupid. Rather, it was one particular guest, who seemed determined to make her job impossible. A certain waterbender…

=x=

"Chief!" shouted the bender in question. Lin rolled her eyes and sighed – this was going to be tedious. "Chief!" she called again, bursting into view from the crowd in which she had been enveloped moments ago.

"What is it, Kya? Is Bumi drunk already?" Lin asked, exasperation dulling her tone.

Kya stopped in front of the police chief, grinning ominously. "Nope! Well, probably, I dunno. But who cares? It's a party, getting drunk is one of the main attractions," she rambled, showing her own minor inebriation.

"Is there a point to all this?" Lin asked testily, "Only I'm trying to keep this place secure and you're not helping."

Kya sobered up a little as she responded: "Oh, come on, Lin, when was the last time you actually took a break and had some fun?" she teased. "Come oooooon, first round's on me!" she added, hopeful grin returning to her features.

 _Ugh, I hate when she does that damn puppy dog look, she knows I can't resist that_ , Lin grimaced internally as she tried to do the thing she knew she couldn't: "I'm sorry. I can't, I'm needed here."

Kya pouted. "Cut the hippo bull, no-one's gonna attack us, the worst danger you'll have to deal with is the press, and I _think_ your officers can handle them," she argued.

Sighing, the Chief responded: "You're not leaving without me, are you?"

Smirking smugly, Kya confirmed that she would indeed pester the exasperated Chief until she gave in and "Let your hair down for the first time in a decade or two."

Lin turned to one of her officers and barked: "Deputy, I'm leaving the security of this event in your hands. Can I count on you?"

Snapping to attention, he shakily responded: "Y-y-yes, Chief. I- I mean, we won't let you down, ma'am."

Sighing again, Lin allowed herself to be dragged into the party, Kya whooping with joy: "Yeah! This is gonna be awesome!" Lin cringed. _What have I gotten myself into…?_

=x=

'Letting one's hair down,' according to Kya, meant inducing copious amounts of alcohol in good company, and laughing at the inevitable shenanigans that would follow. So, naturally, the Chief ended up being taken right to the bar.

As Lin settled onto a barstool, Kya waved over the bartender. "Two shots of the Fire Nation's Finest!" she demanded, flashing Lin a cheeky grin. When the shots were poured, Kya slid one over to Lin, who grimaced.

"Didn't we drink this shit when we were kids?" she asked, eyeing the small glass with no small amount of dread. "Because as I recall, it tasted like death back in the day," she concluded.

"Well it's not like we're drinking it for the taste," Kya returned with a wink, adding, "You need to loosen up a little. And didn't we always wonder if it'd taste any better when we were older?" she continued, lifting her shot. "To the good old days," she toasted, clinking her glass with the Chief's.

"I guess I can drink to that," Lin replied, smirking. The whisky burned its way down her throat, but years of police work and the injuries it came with allowed her to suffer the minor unpleasantness without showing weakness.

Kya was not so lucky. Slamming her glass down onto the bar, she shook her head from side to side a few times, then proclaimed her disgust: "Ugh, I guess some things just don't get better with age, huh." Kya looked over at Lin, who still wore that smirk. "What?" Kya inquired, curious as to what could possibly keep her usually surly friend grinning for more than five seconds at once.

"I know one thing that got better with age," Lin answered, then continued: "Your bending."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the waterbender demanded, feigning outrage. "Don't tell me you don't remember the time I had to carry you back to the ferry while you were completely covered in booze?" the amused Chief replied, the then-frustrating, now-hilarious event replaying in her mind.

"Hippo bull! That never happened," Kya insisted.

"Well you wouldn't remember it, I guess, since you were so drunk you tried to beerbend at some jerk trying to pick us up," Lin chuckled, the whisky chipping away at her inhibitions. "To your credit you managed to lift everyone's beer out of their glasses, but when you tried to catch it…. Well let's just say that all you accomplished was pissing off an entire bars' worth of idiots and giving yourself the worst bath ever," she continued, as Kya's shocked expression widened at Lin's recollection of that stupid old night.

"You remembered that?" Kya asked, quietly.

"Of course! Even though I had to fling rocks at most of 'em before we got out, and _even though_ I had to carry you to the port, covered in beer, and then _drive the damn ferry all the way back to Air Temple Island_ , it was still hilarious!" Lin half-shouted, oblivious to the effect her story had had on her drinking buddy.

"Wow," Kya mumbled, before forcing herself back to the party. "Still a lightweight, I see," she grinned, amused by how little it took to get Lin tipsy.

=x=

"I found a drink you _really_ need to try," Kya told Lin. Throwing her arm around the Chief, she called over the barkeep, and asked: "Can I get two Falling Stars, please?"

After taking Kya's yuans, the guy behind the bar, barely 18, nervously pulled out several bottles of spirits and started to mix them. Lin turned to look at the woman holding her in a drunken embrace and was startled by how close that delightful face was to her own. Pushing such thoughts from her mind, she asked: "What the hell is a Falling Star?"

"Trust me, it's just the coolest thing," Kya answered.

Lin sighed, resigning herself to getting nothing out of the woman holding her so tightly. When the barkeep returned he brought two glasses filled to the brim with a strange grey liquid. Setting them on the table, he raised his hands, extending the first two fingers on each hand and curling the rest against his palms. Lin reached for her glass, only for Kya to grab the offending wrist with her other hand. "Wait," she breathed, keeping a firm grip on her friend.

Lin's breathing shook as she realised her companion was completely wrapped around her, barely noticing the twin bursts of fire the barkeep shot at the drinks. Lin did, however, notice the brilliant white flames with which they burned. "They put something on the top that burns white, like the tail of a falling star," Kya explained, releasing her grip on Lin's wrist, and taking her own glass in hand. Her left arm remained draped on the Chief's shoulders, however.

Lin eyed her glass dubiously before taking it. Blowing a small hole in the burning liquid at the surface, she took a sip. Cloying sweetness rushed into her mouth, making her gag. "Spirits, Kya," she cursed.

"Yup, lots of 'em!" joked Kya, earning a scowl from her once again sullen friend.

"This is _so_ you, something sickly sweet enough that you don't notice how quickly you get wasted drinking it," Lin growled.

"Trust me, you'll get used to it," Kya implored.

And as the conversation proceeded, Kya's words turned out to have some truth to them after all. As Lin became acclimatized to the sweetness, it became almost pleasant, and before long her new-found enthusiasm for the mysterious cocktail was rewarded by an empty glass. Kya's mouth split into a huge, childlike grin at that, and she stood, removing her arm from Lin's in the process, making Lin almost disappoi- _NOPE. Not thinking that_.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, Kya called: "BUMI! GET YOUR DRUNK ASS OVER HERE!"

Lin facepalmed and demanded "What have I done to deserve that?"

"I'll explain in a minute," Kya responded, a touch breathless from her bellow.

Bumi stumbled along shortly after, nearly tripping over his own trench coat. "Wuh? What?" he slurred, confused, until he saw his sister. Letting out a mighty roar that would've had the average soldier running back to base for a change of trousers, Bumi launched himself at Kya, lifting her in a huge platypus bear hug. "KYA! YOU'RE THE BESTHT!" he exclaimed, alcohol impeding his words.

"Put me down, you idiot!" Kya screeched. Sheepishly he lowered her, then asked why he had been called, if not for one of his: "totally amathing hugths" as he put it.

"You owe me 100 yuans, she drank it!" Kya yelled gleefully.

Looking over at a very confused Lin, Bumi mumbled and grumbled and repeatedly swore as he dug out his wallet and shoved a bunch of notes into his sister's expectant hands. Muttering something about "shtupid shishtersh" and getting another drink, he slunk off, looking somewhat disgruntled. Lin cocked an eyebrow at her friend.

"You cheeky bastard," she remarked.

"You're one to talk!" Kya retorted, though with good humor.

=x=

A few more beers and shots later, a bearded bald monk with a blue arrow tattooed over his head cautiously approached. "Tenzin," slurred Lin, "For once I'm actually having a good time at one of these damn things."

Tenzin shook his head and calmly replied: "Just checking in, making sure you're alright. You seem to have drunk quite a bit."

"I don't need you checking up on me. Now get outta here, if it's not about saving the world or anything like that then I couldn't care less what you have to say," Lin viciously retorted.

Chastened, Tenzin backed away, remembering how much he liked his head being attached to his shoulders.

=x=

Later, a dark-skinned young woman with short black hair approached. "Lin?!" she exclaimed, astounded.

"What's the matter, never seen me let my hair down, Avatar?" Lin responded, amusement twinkling in her eyes.

Kya pulled the young girl in, seating her between the two drunk older ladies. "How're you doin', Korra?" Kya asked unsteadily.

"I'm fine. Good. Yeah, great. You two look like you're having a good time," Korra responded uncertainly.

"Yeah, Kya showed me this _awesome_ drink. It's called a Falling Shot. Star. Not shot. What am I sayin'?" Lin stumbled.

"Honestly! Some women just can't hold their liquor!" giggled Kya.

"A-a-anyway, I was just heading out to get some air," Korra quickly put in, before the drunken banter could resume. Ducking out of the older woman's drunken hold, she mumbled something about how nice it was to see Lin enjoying herself, before darting away.

"What did I say?" Lin asked, looking crestfallen.

"I think," Kya whispered conspiratorially, "she might be trying to meet up with someone." The waterbender winked.

=x=

Shortly after that, the recently-promoted Detective Mako made his way over to his boss. "Chief," he began, not realising the depths of her intoxication, "Several guests are causing a nuisance. What do you want to do about them?"

Lin clumsily turned from the bar, some of her grey hair escaping her usually perfect bun, and shouted back: "Hey! I'm on a break! You can handle a few little drunks, can't you? Detective?"

Snapping to attention, Mako responded: "Yes ma'am. Sorry ma'am. Consider it done." Walking away, Mako tried and failed to comprehend the fact that his boss – a record-breaking hardass – was as drunk as Bumi. _Could this evening get any weirder?_ He wondered, reaching for the cuffs at his belt.

=x=

The older ladies were giggling like crazy over another round of Falling Stars when an Air Acolyte with a mischievous grin approached. "Hey, ladies, sounds like someone's having a good time," Kai opened smoothly.

Kya grinned cheekily as she responded: "Yeah, you could say that." Clearing his throat, Kai continued: "Some of the other airbenders aren't having such a good time, but I think I know exactly how to put some life back into the party."

"Oh?" Lin responded, eyebrow raised, certain she knew exactly what was coming next.

"I don't suppose I could trouble you lovely ladies for a few beers, could I?" he asked. Suddenly Lin let out a guffaw of laughter, shocking everyone in the vicinity.

"Could you trouble us for some beers?" she spluttered in between laughs. "Yeah, real good idea, kid, try and get the damn _Chief of Police_ to enable underage drinking!" Howling, she and Kya returned to their drinking and joking. Kai let out a frustrated sigh, and went off to pester Suyin instead.

=x=

Things were starting to quiet down a little after midnight. At this point, the happy newlyweds meandered round to greet the last few guests who had yet to offer them congratulations. Stopping at the bar, Varrick proclaimed: "Kya! Lin! Why did I get a sneaking suspicion I might find you two here!"

Kya immediately smiled and threw herself at the couple, bunching them up in a hug. "I'm so happy for you both!" she proclaimed in a giddy voice. Lin merely glared at Varrick.

When Kya released them, Lin huffed: "Well, I suppose this is the part where I congratulate you. Well, congratulations, Varrick. You got a far better woman than you had any right to expect." Turning to Zhu Li, she continued: "Whatever it is you see in him, the rest of us don't. But, whatever, he's your problem now!" she concluded, cackling.

Astonishment and outrage showed in equal measures on Varrick's face, while Zhu Li blushed and muttered that perhaps Lin was a bit too drunk.

Kya was also stunned. "Alright, that's enough, Lin," she snapped, trying to recover the situation. "I think you've had enough, let's get you off to bed."

Lin shrugged and allowed herself to be led along by the waterbender, wishing she could feel the arm holding her up by the waist. _Damned armour,_ she cursed internally, as Kya half-walked, half-dragged her up to one of the many guest rooms in the Temple.

=x=

"That was unnecessarily mean, what you said to Varrick," Kya spoke, softly but sternly. Lin was sat on the double bed, head in hands, while Kya stood in front of her, looking down on her.

Lin sighed and responded: "Huh... You're probably right."

The older woman was taken aback – Lin, apologising? Well, not apologising, but acknowledging she said something harsh. _She must be drunker than me_ , she thought to herself. Externally, however, she remained stern: "Yeah, I am. And you're going to apologise to them next time you see them." Lin groaned. "Aren't you?" Kya insisted.

"Fine, fine, whatever," Lin slurred.

Kya paused, then went to sit next to Lin. Gently resting her hand on Lin's shoulder, she asked: "Are you gonna be okay with that?" She gestured at Lin's police armour.

Lin staggered to her feet, and clumsily moved her arms in a crude approximation of proper metalbending stances, untidily peeling off the layers of hardened steel to reveal a simple tank top and trousers. Leaving the metal where it fell, Lin stumbled back towards the bed and landed on Kya, pressing their bodies together.

Kya's breath caught in her chest. First the view of Lin's scarred, muscular arms, and now this? Totally unfair. However, her breathing problems were not only caused by her excessive enjoyment of being underneath the too-drunk Chief, but also because the angle of her fall had Kya pinned most uncomfortably, and was making breathing even harder.

The waterbender rolled Lin onto her side, so that they lay facing each other, Lin's emerald eyes hazy but not quite asleep yet.

Time enough for one more question.

 _Don't ask that, you'll give yourself away in a heartbeat,_ she thought. Another side of her replied. _Why not? She won't remember._

This internal wrestling match proceeded while Lin's eyes, locked onto Kya's face, drifted towards closing.

Eventually, Kya plucked up the nerve and asked the question that had been on her lips since Lin recounted the tale of her failed attempt at beerbending. "How come you remember all the times we had when we were young?" she asked.

She knew her own reasons for remembering them all – she was young, in love, and every moment spent in the gruff, but ultimately kind woman's company was a moment she cherished, but she couldn't fathom how Lin's memory was so accurate also.

 _Probably just cause she's a policewoman, attention to detail and all that,_ she though sluggishly. But a faint spark of hope had been lit when she heard that story. Maybe, just maybe, Lin had enjoyed their time just as much. Maybe she even felt the same way…?

 _Stop it. Stop. It. You're only gonna get yourself hurt if you get your hopes up. What are the chances she bends your way?_

Her train of thought was scattered by Lin's response: "Of course I remember them. They…" she trailed off, to Kya's frustration.

Once again she was surprised by what Lin did next.

The younger woman's arm slid around her waist, pulling her close. Lin's forehead pressed against Kya's as she continued: "Those times... They... You made me really happy back then. I never forgot any of them."

At that point, Kya could see the Chief's realisation at what she was saying across her face, embarrassment colouring her cheeks. Lin turned her head down and broke eye contact.

Softly, Kya put her arm around Lin, finally reciprocating the embrace. Lin's admission had filled her with joy and hope, and she pulled the younger woman tightly into her. She gently pressed her lips against Lin's forehead, and whispered: "Thank you." Soon both women, exhausted from a night of rowdy drinking, were asleep.


	2. Chapter 2 - Hangovers and Healing

**Chapter 2 – Hangovers and Healing**

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews, some people said they wanted more, so here you are :) at the moment I've only got a couple more chapters planned for after this, but after that, who knows? With regards to avatarfanlin's suggestion – I'm gonna try breaking paragraphs up a bit to make dialogue easier to read, so now I'll use a** =x= **to denote the end of a scene. Hope that clears things up :P if people like it I'll use it in further chapters, might even go back and fix the first :P Thanks for the constructive criticism, which, btw, is always welcome :) Enjoy :)**

 **A/N: Also, this bit contains an intimate scene between two women. If it's not your thing, then avoid. UPDATE: on advice I have taken the rating down again. Minor paranoia on the part of a new writer :P**

 **A/N: UPDATE: many thanks to avatarfanlin for betaing and advising, chapter has been re-uploaded and tweaked a bit!**

 _Anguish held Lin in its terrible grip, as she lay, curled like a cat, on her lonely apartment bed. Betrayal, of the worst kind was the source of her agony. A betrayal she could never have expected, even from_ him _. He'd sworn that he was fine with her decision, that he would respect her. And, for a while, Lin had believed him. Until now. Now she was alone, hurting more than she'd ever believed possible. A knock on the door sounded from afar, along with a familiar voice. "Lin! It's me," called the voice of his sister, the waterbender. When no reply came Kya continued. "Please, I'm not here for Tenzin. I know what he did to you, and it's unforgivable. I just want you to know…" Pausing, Kya took a breath to focus her mind so that she could express exactly what she meant without the chance of her friend misunderstanding. After a moment, she finished. "I want you to know that I'm here, if you need me. And that you don't need to worry about our… our friendship. You know I wouldn't take sides in these kinds of things normally, but I'm with you on this one. All the way."_

 _Feeling slightly self-conscious, Kya waited, and then, when Lin seemed determined to be as unreachable as ever, she turned to leave. Thus, she almost jumped when she heard a voice, trembling where once it was strong, answering her. "Please… I… probably shouldn't be alone right now," it stumbled out. As Kya rushed in, Lin tried desperately to dry her eyes and nose, to act as though she hadn't been weeping bitter tears ever since she found out what he did. It was no use – as soon as Kya saw her face, the observant Chief could tell that she knew. Of course, the other giveaway was the fact that Lin found herself wrapped in a vice-like hug. Unbidden, the tears burst forth once more, this time into Kya's shoulder._

 _As the waterbender gently guided her friend back onto the bed, in an attempt to make her comfortable, Lin let it all out. She mourned the loss of a lover, she cursed him for his treachery, and as Kya softly ran her hand back and forth across her head, she wept for the life that she had known but had now lost. But most importantly, she revealed the true reason that his act had cut her so deeply. "H-h-he… he was the only one who ever accepted me… The only one who ever loved me, the way I loved him… I never thought anyone would, or even could feel that way about me. He gave me all that, and now I know none of it was real. I w-w-was right. There's no one. I've got no one." At that, grief robbed her of her voice, and she simply sat there, enveloped in her friend's embrace, crying her eyes out._

 _After what felt like an eternity, the flow of tears stemmed enough for her to look up. What she took her breath away. A woman, not that much older than herself, infinite kindness and compassion shining in her bright blue eyes. A sad smile graced that wondrous face as she lay a hand upon the Chief's scarred face. "You're wrong," she breathed, leaning closer, "you do have someone… who loves you…" Lin's breath caught. Heat shot through her, but not the searing burn of grief. No, this was something else, something caused by the closeness the women now shared. It reached its peak as the older woman's breath brushed along Lin's lips, as she spoke the last thing, that one last thing. Always the same, simple word. The word she so badly wanted to hear. "Me." Kya whispered, before closing what little distance that remained between their lips…_

 _=x=_

A bladed whirlwind shot through Lin's head as she awoke. _So that's why I stopped drinking,_ she groaned internally. The dream, always the same, had come to her again. A dream that spoke of desires buried deep beneath layers of grief, self-doubt, and duty. Not to mention fear. A fear that those dreams would never be anything more. This dream in particular she knew was her own, highly unhealthy way of dealing with a mistake she made. The first part she remembered like it was yesterday – the pain of loss, the fury at Tenzin's duplicity, and even Kya's attempt to comfort her. But Lin made a different choice that day, a choice she, over the long years, had come to regret. She did not call out. Although she had felt the slightest twinge of warmth that Kya had actually cared enough to visit, ultimately all she had given Kya for her concern was silence. After all, she was still his sister. No-one with the blood of the adulterer was welcome in her life at that point.

After she left, the agony had thrown another barrage at her, and another, and another, until it had felt like it was drowning her, choking her, consuming her. Of course, time had dulled the pain. But as the pain faded, and the final part of that dream began to occur again and again, something else grew within her. Something she knew would never, _could_ never be satisfied. A desire that she had to take to her grave.

That melancholy thought was her last before she realised exactly where she was.

As needles drove into her head once again, the reality of her current situation hit her like a tonne of bricks. The thick, padded fabric into which her head was nestled. The warm, gentle arms surrounding her. The inviting legs interwoven with her own. The scent of pine needles, sending shivers down Lin's spine as she inhaled. Memories of conversations from the previous, some shouted, some whispered, floated blearily in her mind. But thanks to the stimuli that were all pointing to one conclusion, there was one memory which came to her with surprising clarity. Clumsily prising her armour off, then accidentally collapsing on the last person she ever expected to share a bed with.

Kya.

Kya, in her thick, padded Water Tribe parka.

Kya, with her warm, gentle arms, and inviting legs.

Kya, with the scent of crushed pine needles.

Kya, the woman she dreamed of loving.

All of these pervasive thoughts of attraction and the resulting perverse desires, combined with the mother of all hangovers, made this a situation that Lin very much wanted to escape. She could only hope that Kya had been as drunk as she had, so that she, too, would be sound asleep. But Lin couldn't bring herself to leave without snuggling into her friend briefly, lightly squeezing her waist and nuzzling into her chest. Regretfully, she extricated herself from Kya's tangled embrace, softly so as to wake her. Once free, she executed a much smoother inversion of her movements then previous night, bending her armour back into place. Then, with a hand on her head in a vain attempt to numb the pain shooting through it, she stumbled towards the door.

=x=

Lin's escape attempt, however, coincided with an alarmingly similar act.

Stepping out, Lin collided with a tall, raven-haired beauty. Both of them let out strangled exclamations as they tried to avoid alerting the rest of the hallway to their respective presences. "Asami?" mumbled Lin, attempting not to wake the rest of the Temple but being unable to hide her surprise that she was not the only one doing a walk of shame.

"Oh, Chief… sorry about that, you just caught me by surprise, I was…" Asami babbled, frantically reaching for an excuse.

Sadly, her efforts were in vain. Recalling the odd behaviour of another guest at the party, as well as the fact that they were in completely the wrong part of the Temple for the guest rooms, Lin, in the few seconds it took for Asami to try to talk her way out of her present predicament, had worked out exactly why the inventor was so nervous. "You've just left Korra's room, haven't you?" Lin asked quietly.

Nervousness turned to shock, then to outright fear on Asami's face. "How… Never mind, I guess nothing gets by you, huh," Asami sighed, defeated. A tinge of desperation crept into her voice then. "Please, we're not ready for people to know about us. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure there's even an 'us' yet. Please don't tell anyone!" She begged.

"Do I look like a gossip to you?" Lin retorted, a smirk threatening to grace her lips. "Nah, your secret's safe with me. Just… Korra's sweet, and damned if I haven't come to like her. Don't hurt her. Or else," she warned Asami, her patented death glare piercing the younger woman to the core.

The inventor stiffened at this, and indignantly replied. "Of course I won't. You're not the only one who cares about her, you know." She took a steadying breath before continuing. "But thanks. It means a lot that you won't spread the word." Taking note of her surroundings, she brightened and added, "So I think it's fair enough that I don't tell anyone about you and Kya either!"

As a flush crept up Lin's cheeks she responded forcefully. "There's nothing going on between us. Where did you get that impression?"

"Oh, come on, you just came out of her room, and you spent the whole party talking to her! I may not be a cop, but I'm not stupid," Asami teased. "But go on, I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for why you were just leaving Kya's room at five in the morning after a party in which you were unbelievably drunk."

Lin sighed, resigning herself to explaining as much as she had to in order to throw off Asami's suspicions. "From what I remember, I think I said something embarrassing, so Kya took me away from the bar. She helped me get to her room – it's closer to the bar than the guest rooms – then we talked. Then I think I took off my armour… then I kind of… fell on her," she explained lamely.

Asami grinned menacingly. "Right, whatever. Just be more careful next time you try to sneak out. Might not be someone quite as… accommodating next time," she said slyly, winking. "But don't worry, your secret's safe with me," she echoed Lin's earlier words teasingly. Watching as the raven-haired young lady walked off, Lin internally sighed with relief. _Too close_ , she thought. _At least I have leverage, so she's the only one who knows. Well aside from Korra. Asami will probably tell her, but I still have leverage._ And, comforted by that knowledge, Lin left Air Temple Island without further incident.

=x=

Looking down as a pile of papers perched precariously upon her desk, Lin cringed. _Damn, isn't there a limit on the amount of havoc that can occur in one night?!_ She cursed to herself. Suddenly an idea struck her. _There's still a lot of debris that needs shifting over at the site of the new spirit portal. I could volunteer to help them out. Then I can just let Saikhan deal with the paperwork._ She grinned ever-so-slightly at her own cunning.

Stepping out into the police station lobby, she shouted for Saikhan. Moments later he stood in front of her, straight as an arrow. "I'm heading out to help the volunteers at the spirit portal to clear the debris. You're in charge until I get back. And there's a mountain of paperwork in there," she gestured towards her office, "that needs addressing. Anything major comes up, call me. That'll be all," she concluded. As expected, Saikhan accepted his responsibility with a curt reply, face twisting slightly with displeasure at the tedious to which he had been assigned. Despite her hangover, which had persisted well into the morning and showed no signs of abating for a while, she was pleased that she had at least managed to avoid the dullest task of law enforcement. _Ah, the privileges of command…_

=x=

In hindsight, Lin should've known better.

Of course, hindsight is twenty twenty, and it's hardly fair to judge an action based on it.

After all, it had seemed like a good idea at the time.

So she couldn't blame herself.

Right?

Okay, maybe trying to shift several tons of rubble while hungover wasn't the _smartest_ plan, but still.

Thoughts to this effect ran through her head as Lin came to. While moving a decent-sized chunk of rock above herself, she had managed, in her still-bleary state, to misstep halfway through her stance. This resulted in the aforementioned rock, which was almost past her, falling and fragmenting on her left side. Her shoulder was dislocated, and chunks of the rock struck at various points on her side, leaving bruises, and breaking a couple of ribs for good measure. The first thing Lin was aware of which wasn't her own internal scolding was the frantic scrabbling around of various police officers. As the field healer repaired her broken ribs, Lin realised they were panicking because of _her_.

 _Those idiots thought a lump of rock would get the best of me_ , she grumbled to herself.

Once the damage to her bones was fixed, and her shoulder popped back into place (terrifying the surrounding officers with her silence at the painful procedure) Lin brushed the healer off. "I'm not about to die anymore, which means there's some poor bastard out there who needs your help more than me," she snapped. It rankled her enough that she couldn't keep doing her job if it were not for the help of these specialist waterbenders, but she'd be damned if she was going to let them fuss over her when she didn't really need it. Also, while larger injuries, such as broken bones, could be healed through her armour, minor injuries could not, and Lin was loath to remove any part of her attire in front of her subordinates.

Of course, the field healer didn't see it her way. "With respect, ma'am, you still have a lot of bruising on your left side, as well as a few cuts from where the debris dented your armour, causing it to scratch you torso," he stated calmly, clinically.

Growling in frustration, Lin spat a reply. "You're done here. None of my injuries are life-threatening. I can handle them."

Fighting to keep calm, the healer responded. "Your other injuries may not be life-threatening, but if they aren't healed soon they _will_ scar."

Lin had had just about enough of this. "I didn't get this job because of my looks! I couldn't care less if my body won't win me the Miss Republic City award, I care about making sure that people like you," she emphatically jabbed the medic's chest here, "don't waste their time on injuries that aren't serious!"

Letting out a breath of exasperation, the medic turned away and returned to his post and the small field hospital that had been set up near the new spirit portal, for cases just such as Lin's. Carefully avoiding showing any pain, Lin stood, and used her bending to straighten out her armour, repairing the damage.

Limping slightly, she made her way out of the tent, intending to head back to the office. _Guess I don't get to avoid the paperwork after all,_ she though glumly. As her eyes drifted over the great beam of light shining in the centre of the crater, she noticed two figures approaching it, hand in hand. Squinting, she noticed raven hair on one figure, and distinctive blue clothing on the other. _Why am I not surprised? I'd have been surprised if Asami actually had anything to worry about with Korra,_ she thought, amused, but also strangely pleased. She had, after all, meant what she said about the young Avatar – the gruff Chief had grown rather fond of her, and wanted the best for her. So it made sense that seeing her heading into the Spirit World with her new girlfriend brought a little rush of warmth into Lin. _I just hope Korra never hears someone call Asami her 'pal'. We'd have to send whatever's left of the poor guy back home in a matchbox, and I don't like the thought of having to arrest the Avatar again._

=x=

Back in her office, Lin was filling out form after form, checking over arrest reports, filling out progress reports for the President, and other equally mind-numbing chores. The dull, repetitive nature of her work almost let her forget about her hangover, which was only just starting to fade.

Almost.

However, as seemed to be becoming a pattern, there was one person who had taken it upon herself to make Lin's life as hard as possible. A certain waterbender…

Breathlessly she burst into Lin's office, despite the fact that Saikhan had been warned about the dire repercussions of letting anyone disturb the all-important mission of scribbling some barely-comprehensible drivel on paper. "Are you out of your mind?!" Kya demanded, with all the subtlety of a rampaging platypus bear. "What are you doing here?!" Retorted Lin, equally furious.

"Trying to stop you from being such an _idiot_! I've been all over the damn city trying to find you! You weren't at your apartment, you'd gone down to the portal by the time I got to the office, and when I get there I find out you've gotten yourself injured and refused treatment! Do you really care so little for your own health?" the waterbender ranted, stopping for breath.

Seizing this opportunity, Lin countered. "It's not your job to look after me! I have the field medics for that, and besides, I had all the serious injuries treated! I'm not in any immediate danger, so I don't see the point in wasting the healer's time on a few bruises and scratches!"

Kya's eyes, normally so full of warmth, were icy. Such a glare managed to rattle even the hardened Chief. Kya snarled a response. "Allowing yourself to remain injured prevents you from operating at your best. Because this isn't just about you, and your ridiculous lack of care for your own body. This is about an entire city that depends on _you_ , to be the best you can be. And if you can't accept that, then you shouldn't be wearing that damned uniform!"

The resulting silence was deafening.

At first, Lin's expression was livid, and it seemed she would yell an equally loud reply. But Kya's later point sobered her somewhat. Lin couldn't deny that her injuries had made it harder for her to focus. However, she could hardly concede defeat at this point, at least not in front of the entire office. So she ordered Kya to come in and close to door, making sure that everyone could see her furious expression. However, as soon as she did so, the Chief's expression softened somewhat. Kya opened her mouth to continue her tirade but Lin held up her palm, indicating for her to wait. "They'll stop trying to eavesdrop in a minute," she explained. After a slightly subdued conversational buzz slowly reasserted itself in the office, Lin then spoke. "You've got a good point, there, about doing my best. I'll deny I ever said this, but you're probably right."

Once again a stunned silence followed. But this was more due to shock than anything. Lin Beifong, admitting she was wrong? It took Kya a moment to re-learn the art of speaking, at which point she spluttered. "Well, yes, I am. Wow, that was easier than I expected." After a moment's thought Kya added hopefully. "So are you gonna take a few days off then? You know, give yourself time to recover."

Lin sighed and replied. "Guess I ought to. Happy now?"

Smiling broadly Kya nodded, then made a suggestion. "Since you don't want to 'waste the healer's time', as you put it, how about I do it instead? Nothing else I need to do today, plus I'm one of the best healers in the Southern Water Tribe!"

 _There's really no way I'm getting out of this. Might as well try though._

"No, Kya, it's fine, I don't mind going to the healer this time," Lin tried.

Those shining blue eyes widened as Kya wheedled, "Pleeeaaase?"

 _Well, it was worth a shot._

Biting back her frustration, Lin mumbled a single "fine" before getting up. "Excellent. I'll have you up to scratch in no time," Kya pronounced gleefully, linking arms with the reluctant Chief, sending a slight redness up the metalbender's cheeks. Virtually dragging Lin out of the office, Kya threw open the door and made straight for the exit, pausing only to explain to Lin's deputy Saikhan that the Chief was on medical leave for a week.

=x=

As they walked through the streets Kya nattered amicably, all animosity apparently forgotten now that she had got her way. Lin was rather taciturn, but did not, at least, dampen her friend's mood. After a few minutes of strolling they came to a fork in the road and Kya paused, uncertain. "Where would you rather do this?" she asked. "We could go back to the Air Temple… Or if you prefer we could go to your place. Whatever's more comfortable for you."

Lin thought for a moment and replied. "I don't think I'm ready to face Tenzin after the scene I caused last night. We'll head to my place." Nodding, Kya once again led on, resuming her meaningless chatter to Lin's mild irritation. Truth be told, however, Lin enjoyed focusing on Kya's voice It was certainly more pleasant that constantly thinking about her bruises, and privately the Chief had always liked the sound of Kya's voice.

=x=

About half an hour later they arrived at the building in which Lin lived. It was pleasant enough, with grass and shrubbery around it, though it was not as high-end as Kya know Lin could afford. She wisely chose not to make this opinion known however.

=x=

After ascending a few flights of stairs, they came to the door. Instead of a key, Lin simply metalbent the lock into the 'open' state. The door swung open into a sparsely decorated apartment, with a small kitchen/diner, a living area with a radio, a loveseat and coffee table, and another door that led to Lin's room. "Want some tea?" Lin asked, though privately she wanted merely to get on with the healing. Though she'd never admit it, the pain was really starting to annoy her.

Apparently, Kya was of the same mind, judging by her response. "No, thanks. I think it'd be best if we just get on with healing you. If we're lucky, we might be able to avoid scarring." Lin accepted this with equanimity, and asked where would be best for her to sit. "I think you'll be better off lying down… I'm gonna need… full access… to your side to see what the damage is, and to be able to heal it." Twin pink flushes shot through the faces of both women as Kya's meaning came across.

Part of Lin was hesitant to reveal herself in such a way, but her practical side argued that it was necessary to be able to fix the smaller wounds. And there was another side in favour of the healing, or, more accurately, the removal of clo- _NOPE._ "I-I'll head into my room, then, get myself… ready," Lin stammered, practically running into her room.

=x=

While Lin changed, Kya filled a large saucepan with water from the faucet. After a few moments, Kya heard Lin hesitantly telling her that she was ready. Kya frowned at her tone. "Are you sure you're comfortable with this?" she enquired, through the door. "You know that I'm… different to most women. If you don't want me to see you like this, I get it," she continued, anxious that Lin would back out.

Her fears were relieved when Lin answered. "it's fine. You, uh, you've probably seen me worse anyway." With that, Kya entered the room.

Lin was laid face-down upon the bed, which was in the corner, such that the head of the bed was on the left wall, meaning that as Lin lay there, her left side was visible from the entrance. Despite all her self-control Kya could not help but gasp at the sight before her. Stepping in, she closed the door, then walked slowly towards her patient, observing, analysing, her professional side hard at work, processing all the information her eyes sent her. What her eyes told her was this: the entirely of the left side of Lin's torso was mottled blue and purple with much bruising. Kya counted seven different cuts, of varying length, width and depth. Already two of them were showing signs of infection, though with haste they could still be purged. Pulling up the bedside table to rest the pan upon, Kya knelt before her patient. Drawing upon her powers, she lifted a globule of water from the pan, large enough to envelop her hands. Channelling her healing powers caused the water to glow an icy blue. Gently she held the water against her wounded friend, forcing it into the deeper wounds, watching as, slowly but surely, the flesh beneath the skin knitted itself together, the skin itself returned to a healthier hue as the bruising faded, and then finally as the wounds closed completely.

As she ran her hands around the Chief's side, she couldn't help but notice a number of scars across Lin's otherwise strong, well-toned back. The worn musculature beneath Kya's hands stood as a testament to Lin's devotion to her work, even at her own expense, as well as to the fact that she had aged very well indeed. Laying her hands on this delightful expanse, Kya gently pressed into various points, finding a dangerous amount of tension. "Lin… you really need to learn to relax. Your back muscles are really tense, and I bet you feel it, don't you?" Kya whispered tenderly.

Embarrassed, Lin mumbled into the pillow. "Yeah. Been that way for a while." Hearing this, Kya siphoned most of the water back into the pan, then sat herself onto the bed at Lin's side and, without prompting, began to apply greater pressure into the knots she found across that beautiful back. "Kya, what are you…" Lin groaned, words failing her.

"This is gonna hurt in places, the amount of tension you're carrying is gonna take a lot of pressure to get out. I'll use the water to make it easier, and hopefully it'll reduce the pain, too," Kya explained gingerly, hesitant to do anything that would hurt her friend but at the same time aware of the need for the massage.

When Lin showed no signs of stopping her, Kya continued, first pressing her thumbs in on either side of the base of Lin's spine, and slowly working her way up. Then, she set to work on her shoulders and neck. At this, Lin began to moan with enjoyment, as Kya's fingers moved their way up and down her neck. Lin's moans triggered a reaction within Kya also, as she felt a heat rush through her, the beginnings of desire. Consequently, she immediately moved to another area of Lin's back, eliciting a soft moan of disappointment. Within minutes, however, as Kya continued to work all of the tension and knotting out of Lin's muscles, the moans started again, softer this time, but no less effective in arousing her.

After five minutes, most of the excess tension had been eased out of Lin's muscles. After ten minutes Lin was in heaven. The waterbender's smooth, talented hands always found their way to the right places, and though she wished she could help it she had to let out some sounds of pleasure. After fifteen minutes Kya was having difficulty pressing only her fingers against the Chief's back, wanting to trail kisses up and down her toned expanse. Realising the danger of this, Kya reluctantly stopped, and stood up, facing the wall to allow Lin to don her tank top once again. As she turn she shakily told Lin. "That should help… hopefully any low-level pain you've been feeling should be gone now."

Lin redressed herself, whispering huskily. "That… that was… the most amazing thing I ever…" That voice, that soft sound full of such pleasure and desire proved too much for Kya. Lin had barely replaced her top when Kya's lips met hers in a passionate hold. Lin barely had time for surprise, as all the pent-up lust she had been feeling while Kya's fingers kneaded her muscles exploded.

She energetically kissed back, earning a surprised moan from her healer, which she heard again when Lin's teeth accidentally closed around Kya's upper lip. They stood there, arms energetically running up and down each other, lips mingling in a desperate struggle for control. Lin felt the waterbender's tongue on her lower lip, sending another surge of desire coursing through her. She opened her mouth to Kya and their tongues explored one another. _Spirits, she's good. I could do this all day. I'm kissing her. I'm actually kissing her._ Thoughts such as these ran through Lin's mind. Soon, though, she actually comprehended the meaning of those words. _Oh, spirits, I'm kissing her!_ Startled by her thoughts finally catching up to her actions, she broke the embrace and turned away.

Panting, Lin managed to speak. "You… you kissed me!"

Kya had been so enthralled by the feeling of Lin's lips on hers that she had been momentarily stunned when the kissing had stopped. Once she recovered from the shock, she processed what Lin had said, recalled the delightful events that had been occurring moments ago, and then realised just how badly she'd messed up. "Uh… yeah," Kya stuttered, certain that Lin was going to tell her to get out, and never return. Yet Kya could have sworn that the metalbender had been kissing her back. She'd even bit Kya's lip at one point, which had almost led to things getting even more out of hand than they had already. Fearing what was to come, the healer had to ask. "Should I be sorry for that?"

Lin's mind was reeling. How could she know the answer to that? While she couldn't deny that she had loved kissing the older woman, she was also afraid. No-one had ever incited that much passion from her. Not even Tenzin. But this could never work. No-one would approve, for a start, and anyway she'd been always hurt in some way or another by everyone she'd ever lo- _Wait, what? We just made out, who said anything about love?_ She argued against herself. This maelstrom of thoughts was just too much for her. She needed to think, to figure out what she felt and what she wanted to do about those feelings. With this thought in mind she replied. "No… no, that was… you really have a lot of talents, you know."

Kya was ecstatic. Not only was Lin not mad at her, she had actually enjoyed it! This opened a whole new range of possibilities in Kya's mind. Possibilities that would make her and, she hopes, Lin also, very happy. Possibilities that were shattered by Lin's next words.

"But I- I'm sorry, I don't quite know how to deal with… all this," Lin gestured hopelessly at the two of them before continuing, "I think I need… time. Time to figure everything out. To figure _us_ out. If there is an _us_ , that is."

"There could be, if you wanted there to be," Kya replied quietly.

Silence reigned for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually Kya broke it. "It's okay. I-I understand. I'll leave, let you… figure things out." Turning, Kya made to leave, but before she could move away she felt a hand close around her wrist. Gently Lin turn her around, so that they faced each other. Then Lin did something almost as surprising as letting Kya heal her.

Lin leant in and hugged her, gripping her tightly.

Kya returned the embrace, and they stood there together for a while, enjoying the intimacy, that was, in a way, greater than that which they felt while kissing.

Then Lin loosened her hold and Kya knew the moment was over. As she left the apartment, she could only hope that it wouldn't be the last of its kind.

 **A/N: Well there you have it, folks! As before, please leave reviews – I want to know if you love it, you hate it, anything you think could be better done would be a great help! Plus the first 3 reviews I got totally made my day, so you'd also be making a randomer on the internet happy :P**


	3. Chapter 3 - Memories, Sweet and Bitter

**Chapter 3 - Memories, Sweet and Bitter**

 **A/N: Apologies for the slow update, I had a friend over for the weekend but I had plenty of time afterwards to get this to you :) Thank you once again for the lovely reviews, it makes me happy to know you enjoy my angst :D There's a bit more to come, though, so, yeah, enjoy :)**

Lying back on her bed, Lin was in shock. For the first time in what she now thought was too many years, she had felt true passion, and had that passion reciprocated. Of course, despite how delightful it had been to lavish Kya's lips with her own, the fact remained that the events of the past twenty-four hours had finally caught up to her, and it was high time she confronted some feelings she had been repressing for far too long.

Feelings for one person in particular, whose very presence in her life complicated things immeasurably. A certain waterbender.

The problem, as Lin saw it, was that so far they had only explored the physical side of their 'relationship.' While she was unsure of the exact nature of her feelings for Kya, she knew she was not one for purely physical arrangements. And so the next important question became, how exactly did she feel about the waterbender?

Looking back, Lin remembered their good times together, and from these treasured memories she began to determine just what she felt for the older woman.

=x=

 _At fifteen years of age, Lin was already a relatively cold person. Perceived expectations from her distant mother, combined with a half-sister who seemed determined to never to make good decision in her life, had a way of preventing a girl from having a good time. But, as in most things, there was one exception._

 _One person around whom she could actually let her guard down._

 _They had known each other virtually their entire lives, their parents having been old friends. This friend was three years older than Lin, and pursued by half the boys in the school._

 _Of course, this friend had no way of knowing just how much she meant to Lin – she could never say, for fear of embarrassment. That, and Lin's feelings towards her were already confused, even then. Her very presence inspired joy and excitement, but also nervousness. At the time, Lin had assumed that this was merely a result of her poor social skills._

 _And so, it was with this same mix of happiness and nerves that greeted her as Kya did. Shining blue eyes, normally twinkling with delight at the world around her, today were dull, which immediately inspired concern within the young earthbender. "Hey, you. What's wrong?" She asked, as Kya moved in for a quick hug._

 _Pulling back, she replied, scowling. "Boys. That's what's wrong."_

 _Curious, Lin asked if there was any boy in particular that had caused her this distress._

 _Kya nodded, then swore under her breath before answering. "Zhao. We'd been hanging out at afternoon break, just talking. I thought I'd finally found a guy who just wanted to be my friend." She sighed, then beckoned to Lin. "Come on, we'd better get back to the Temple. Assuming you actually want to eat tonight." She finished, a shade of her customary smirk gracing her soft features._

=x=

 _Walking in silence, Lin was worrying about her friend. At the same time however, she didn't want to pry and risk further upsetting the older woman. Eventually the former urge won out, and, voice quavering slightly, she dared to ask. "So, uh, what happened then? Did he ask you out?"_

 _Resigning herself to explaining the rather irritating events of the past few hours, Kya let out an exasperated breath before replying. "I wish. That would've been easier to deal with. Nah, we were just sitting, talking about nothing. I was starting to think that maybe, you know, just maybe, he genuinely just wanted to be my friend. And then he starts giving me the whole 'you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met' line. You know, the one that only every boy who's ever asked me out has run with. It's like they don't even realise there's more to a woman than her looks."_

 _Nodding, Lin replied. "Well if they don't notice how fun you are to hang out with, or…" Blushing, she trailed off._

 _But she wasn't getting away that easily, as Kya's curiosity had now been piqued. "Or… what? I know you were going to say something else. Go on, it's okay." She reassured Lin, smiling gently._

 _That soft expression emboldened Lin, and so she strove on with her miniature speech. "How kind you are. You care about just about everyone you meet. Hell, you're friends with the least popular girl in the school. You're damn right about those boys. You deserve someone who knows you, who cares about you as a person, not just the most gorgeous girl in Republic City." Suddenly self-conscious once again, the young earthbender blushed intensely and focused resolutely on her boots._

Oh spirits _, she cursed to herself,_ I said too much, she'll think I like her _. But another train of thought emerged in her mind._ But you do, don't you? _This internal revelation stunned Lin. This couldn't be right. This couldn't be what a crush felt like. Kya was her best friend… and a girl. Girls don't like other girls, she insisted to herself, trying to push down this weird feeling._

 _She was so busy internally panicking that she barely caught Kya's next words. "That… you know, I think that was actually the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." With that, Lin found herself in an unexpected embrace. It took her a moment to process what had happened, at which point she gingerly returned the hug. Kya held on tight for a few seconds, which did nothing to help the weird warm feeling in Lin's chest._

 _When she eventually let go, Kya joked, "I could just kiss you right now. You deserve it a lot damn more than Zhao." Immediately she realised her inadvertent slip and quickly added in explanation. "Yeah, he kissed me. 'Cause I stuttered when he said the line, and before I could tell him I wasn't interested he'd assumed I'd just fallen head-over-heels for him, and the bastard kissed me. I pushed him away and ran. That's when I ran into you."_

 _These words had turned Lin's emotions into a kaleidoscope. Her heart had skipped a beat when Kya had suggested kissing her, putting a number of new thoughts into Lin's mind. Of course, those thoughts began to sting when she realised that Kya was joking. Shock permeated her mind at Kya's little slip, followed by outrage at her story. Needless to say, her reply was a bit stunted. "Wow… What an ass. Do you, ah… do you know what you're gonna do when you see him tomorrow?"_

 _Flaunting her customary smirk, Kya answered. "Well I know what you're gonna suggest. And I have to say, punching him probably would make me feel better. I don't know, Lin. I guess we'll just have to see what happens."_

=x=

When Lin remembered just what Kya had done the following day she couldn't help but grin. _Karma's a bitch if you are_ , she chuckled internally. Clearly Lin had felt something more than friendly affection for Kya for a while. And then of course she had to get her hopes up…

=x=

 _At eighteen years of age, Lin had just finished school, and had joined the Republic City Police Department. After a hard day's work, she was found by her closest friend at one of the city's many parks, sifting through a terrible mystery novel. "Can't believe you bother with that crap." Kya giggled at the sight before her._

 _Colour rushing into her cheeks, Lin retorted. "Hey! They're the closest thing to a manual that I'm gonna get."_

 _Kya snorted. "Yeah, right. You could at least read a book that wasn't written by a total idiot."_

 _Lin glared daggers at the older woman, until she finally relented and opened her arms. "Go on then, get it over with."_

 _An irritating grin formed on Kya's face as she hugged her friend. "We both know you love it." She teased._

 _When they were both seated on the bench, Lin immediately noticed her friend's excitement – her leg was bouncing on a hyperactive foot, and she had a breathless air about her. Naturally, this raised the obvious question. "So what's got you so worked up?"_

 _Kya let out a loud laugh before responding. "Woah there, Officer, I didn't do it!" After another bladed look, Kya relented and spilled the beans. "So you know I've been hanging out with this lady, Mei, right? Well we were out having a drink last night, and when we left, just before she set off home, she kissed me!"_

 _Silence fell as Lin tried to process this. Kya had kissed a girl. And she seemed more excited about her than any boy she'd ever known. So, apparently, girls liking other girls was, in fact, a thing. Once again Kya had the effect on Lin of sending her emotions into overdrive. This time, it was a frustrating mix of reassurance, hope, and envy._

 _Reassurance, because Lin had always feared that her attraction to women was a flaw, or an illness, and one that would never be reciprocated._

 _Hope, because there was a chance that the woman she was attracted to might just feel the same way about her._

 _And envy, because someone else had already made a claim on said woman's affections._

 _As Kya waxed eloquent about her new potential paramour, Lin tried, unsuccessfully, to resolve these feelings, and come up with a plan of action. Eventually, after ten minutes of one-sided discussion about this Mei girl, Lin realised that there was little hope for her anytime soon._

 _She was always a strong person._

 _But it still hurt._

=x=

 _Three weeks later, Lin found herself sitting on Kya's bed, awkwardly patting her shoulder as the waterbender cried. Barely comprehensible through her sobs, Kya somehow managed to splutter out the reason for her tears. "She – she left me. Said I was a coward. She wanted… things from me. Things I-I'm not ready for yet. But she didn't care. I thought – I thought we had something. Something nice, you know? But she was just using me. Why? Why do people do that? How can people just…" At that, the flow of words collapsed entirely, and the floodgates burst open completely._

 _Once again Lin felt the fury that always surged through her whenever someone caused her friend pain. Looking at this wonderful person, who had befriended her when no-one else would, Lin simply couldn't understand the casual cruelty of the world, and of the people in it._

 _Unfortunately, Lin was not entirely skilled in the emotional department, having had no experience giving comfort and very little in receiving it either, given how little of her true feelings she shared at all, even with Kya. So she simply sat there, hand on her friend's shoulder, hoping that her mere presence would help._

=x=

 _After another week, Kya had made a decision. As she said to Lin, "it's all too much for me here. I need to get away, from Mei, from my parents, from just about everything."_

 _Although at first, Lin had been surprised by this choice, she quickly realised it was likely the best thing for her friend right now. The fact that it would deprive Lin of the most important person in her life was irrelevant. Smiling sadly, the earthbender told her friend, "that's probably a good idea. Though I have to say, I'm gonna miss you."_

 _Of course, Kya wasn't done surprising Lin just yet. "Come with me," she pleaded. "I don't want to have to miss you, so come with me! Go home, and pack a bag. We can go right now. It'll be so much fun, you'll see," she continued, realising even then that her pleas would accomplish nothing. Still, she thought there was no harm in trying._

 _Oh how wrong she was._

 _The offer had Lin torn in two. The prospect of spending months, even years in Kya's company, seeking trouble, exploring the world and generally_ _reveling_ _in each other's presence was incredibly enticing. Not to mention the other… opportunities… that being alone with the elegant waterbender would present._

 _But Lin had made a commitment to the law, and to the city. She couldn't just abandon that. Her mother would hate her forever if she gave up now, fleeing out into the wilds for no good reason. Heart heavy, she replied. "I-I can't, Kya. You know I want to. But I have commitments now. I'm part of something bigger than myself. I can't just drop all that to just run off into the wilderness with you."_

 _The older woman had to try, one more time. "Please, Lin. Think of all the adventures we could have, all the people we'd get to meet. There's a whole world outside this city, you know. We could be so happy together. Besides, it's not like your mom didn't do some crazy stuff when she was younger!"_

 _Lin, blinking back tears, turned away, so she would not have to see the pain her next words would cause. "I'm sorry. I just… I just can't, ok? I'm not… as brave as you."_

 _Kya was also barely holding back the tide as she accepted Lin's choice. She did have one last request, however. "If it's not too much to ask, can I have one last hug? I'm definitely gonna miss them. I mean, it's not like we'll never see each other again, but still."_

 _Lin let out a faint, hoarse chuckle. "How did I know you were gonna ask for that?" She teased._

 _Kya's trademark cheeky grin came out then, not completely, but enough to lighten their hearts a little. "Oh come on! We both know you love my hugs," she teased right back._

 _As they wrapped their arms around one another, they buried their heads in each other's shoulders. Within this close embrace, Lin nodded twice, in response to Kya's jest. The older woman squeezed back to let Lin know she understood._

 _They stood there, enveloped in one another, for what seemed like an eternity. But all good things must come to an end, and eventually they broke apart. A few more spare words of farewell later and Kya was gone, running into the world._

 _Lin, alone and desolate, tried desperately to push her sadness away._

 _Unfortunately, she eventually succeeded._

=x=

 _Half a year passed, and Lin had changed for the worse. Already she was sullen and taciturn, rarely engaging in conversation, or even displaying any emotion other than irritation or anger. Every week, when the old Team Avatar and their children had dinner together on Air Temple Island, people learned to leave Lin to her thoughts, lest they incur her wrath._

 _Most people did, at least._

 _It was approaching midnight when Lin excused herself to begin the journey back to her apartment. But she never arrived there that night. For another person also excused himself shortly after she did. His gentle voice sounded from behind as Lin walked away. "Lin. I know you're hurting right now. Truth be told, we all are. I just want you to know… you don't have to handle it on your own."_

 _At this, Lin stopped, and toyed with the idea of letting Tenzin comfort her. In the end, she decided it would probably help, and said as much to him. "Thanks… You know, I may actually take you up on that. Couldn't hurt."_

 _With that, the two walked around the grounds, talking about Kya, both of them expressing their frustration at her decision, even though they both accepted it. They spoke for so long that the sun's first rays were creeping up the eastern horizon when they finally finished. Realising that they both had places to be, they hastily said their goodbyes. But not before Tenzin seized the initiative and gave Lin a hug. Although slightly taken aback at first, she returned the hug gratefully. Perhaps the next few months wouldn't be so hard after all._

=x=

 _Over the next few years, Lin and Tenzin found themselves growing closer. At first, they had bonded over their shared hurt over Kya's departure, and they had provided each other with a small measure of comfort. Though Lin never revealed just how deeply Kya had cut her, and never let Tenzin see her cry, they nonetheless shared their experiences, and their relationship grew from there._

 _After a while, the pain began to recede, leading Lin to believe that she had moved on. Surprisingly, she found herself still wanting to spend time with Kya's brother, and gradually their hugs became less about comfort and more about sheer enjoyment. As they grew closer and closer Lin started to become slightly more open again, chatting amicably at the weekly Team Avatar dinners, and even, when alone with Tenzin, making use of her now-rusty sense of humour, to the airbender's delight._

 _As they drew inexorably closer to each other, the inevitable happened. After a particularly good meal they had shared together in the city, they found themselves at a crossroad, where they would go their separate ways to their respective homes. This time it was Lin who made the first move, as she nervously asked. "Uh, would like to, uh, you know, come back to my place instead?"_

 _A warm smile graced Tenzin's face as he replied. "I thought you'd never ask."_

=x=

 _And so, for a few years, they were happy together. Their love brought happiness to each other and those around them, and although Lin still held up barriers around her deepest feelings, they were closer than ever. For she loved Tenzin as she had loved no one else, and it seemed that his feelings were equally intense._

 _But, of course, no relationship is ever perfect. After those few months had passed, things began to change. They began to quarrel. Small things, at first, which never lasted long. But then there was the major issue. The one that ended up driving a wedge between the two of them, and which eventually destroyed their relationship._

=x=

 _"I know that's what you want, but at the end of the day, it's my body, and I can do what I like with it!" Lin snarled, a fierce fire burning in her emerald eyes._

 _After slowly breathing in and out a few times, Tenzin tried to explain his position. "I know that, and I obviously don't want to force you into doing something you don't want to. But can you at least understand why it's so important to me? Aside from Dad, I'm the only airbender alive. I have to carry on the line, or I'll have let an entire nation die out!"_

 _This cut no ice with Lin, who shot back. "It's always about you, isn't it? Your wants, your needs, your duties, your life! You don't have any respect for what I want out of life!"_

 _Cowed, Tenzin bowed his head. "If that's how I've made you feel, then I apologise. I will endeavour not to ignore your needs in the future." Sighing in despair, he added. "And if you are truly certain that you do not want a family with me… then I will accept that."_

 _Although anger still surged through Lin, Tenzin's words had helped to stem the flow somewhat. Voice still shaking, she thanked him for his respect of her decision, and asked for a bit of space, to cool off._

 _After an hour of awkward silence, they gradually began talking again, the metalbender being glad that this horrible argument was finally behind her._

=x=

 _She could never have seen this coming. When he had grudgingly accepted her decision, Lin had thought that the problem was resolved. But she didn't realise how important a family was to Tenzin. But she could never have imagined that he would go behind her back._

 _One night, when everyone was gathered in the Temple for a lovely meal, Tenzin rose and informed everyone at the table that he had an announcement to make. Lin was puzzled, as her boyfriend had made no mention of anything he needed to tell the whole group. He beckoned to one of the Air Acolytes, who blushed and came over to stand next to him._

 _"There's something you all," he said, looking around at all the faces at the table, lingering regretfully on Lin's for a little longer than the rest, "need to hear." The burn of anxiety shot through Lin as she heard those deliberately vague words. Of course, there's an emotion that burns much hotter than nervousness. An emotion that Tenzin's next words gave life to._

 _Hatred._

 _"As most of you know, Lin and I have been together for many years now. But in this past month, I have… done her a disservice. For in this last month my heart has been claimed by Pema, here, and her claim is... stronger." Turning to Lin, he bowed his head and apologised profusely._

 _The visceral fury, the all-consuming loathing that Lin felt in that instant threatened to overwhelm her. Yet somehow, she managed to keep calm enough to spit out one word. "Why?"_

 _Shamefaced, Tenzin answered. "You know why."_

 _And he was not wrong. For in that moment Lin realised that this was inevitable. She had denied Tenzin the chance of having a family with her. So, naturally, he had to look elsewhere. I'd better get out of here, she thought, before I break his spine. Sharply pushing herself onto her feet, Lin stormed off. There were no tears._

 _Not yet._

=x=

 _Overcome by guilt and shame, Tenzin followed her, still begging for forgiveness. Eventually, Lin couldn't handle it anymore. Assuming a firm, unmoveable stance, she ripped a chunk of masonry from the courtyard floor and hurled it at her now ex-boyfriend._

 _Tenzin barely dodged in time to avoid being crushed. Of course, Lin wasn't done. The hatred had been set loose now, and she hadn't the power to rein it in. And so she wrought devastation across the Temple, flinging whatever stone or rock she could find at the bastard adulterer, who just wouldn't stand still and die like a proper traitor. After cutting a swathe of destruction across most of the Temple grounds, she eventually collapsed to her knees, energy expended in a vain quest of vengeance. No one had been injured, but Lin saw the fear, the sheer paralysing terror in Tenzin's eyes._

 _"I'm not done yet, you bastard. I will hurt you for this, believe me." She growled, just loud enough for him to hear. Her threat delivered, she slightly shakily stood once again, and left the island alone._

=x=

Humiliation coursed through Lin as she recalled her petty attempt at revenge. Thank the spirits mom stopped me. I could've lost my job if it hadn't been her in charge. No police force appreciates someone using it for a personal vendetta. However, the memories did at least explain something. After Tenzin's betrayal she had shut down emotionally, sealing every feeling aside from irritation behind a great barrier in her mind. The parts of her capable of excitement, passion, and love, among others, were all locked away. That way no one could ever hurt her again.

But, Lin realised, it was a double-edged sword. Because it also prevented her from knowing true happiness, or even anything close to it. The past few years had been cold, and she had far too few good memories. And most of them had been made in the last twenty-four hours.

 _Perhaps it's time I let her in…_

If only it was that easy. After all, opening herself up to someone, even someone with as much affection for her as Kya, still carried a risk. Lin's anxiety wanted her to believe that Kya's feelings were a lie. After all, the only things that had occurred between them had been physical. There was little chance that Kya actually cared about her.

That was why, when Kya attempted to comfort her after she lost her bending to the Equalist leader, Amon, Lin had rebuffed her. She simply refused to believe that Kya cared for her. There had to be an ulterior motive.

At least, that was what the anxiety wanted her to believe.

But at the same time, she had made Lin feel truly wanted in the last few hours. From tolerating her drunken self, to caring enough to want to personally heal her, and even with what happened after the healing. In so many ways Kya had made Lin feel important, feel cared for, feel desirable. Because it was clear, even to Lin, in her nervous state, that Kya wanted her in her life.

Equally obvious to her was that she wanted the same thing.

For what felt like hours, but in reality was mere minutes, Lin's thoughts scrambled around, trying to find understanding, trying to figure everything out.

Eventually, Lin realised that no amount of worrying or over thinking would provide her with solace, or truth. There was only one way she could work this out. Only one person who could answer her questions.

She had to take that leap.

She had to dare.

 _But I can't! I couldn't run away with her! I couldn't let her in after Tenzin hurt me! And I'm just NOT BRAVE ENOUGH TO FACE HER NOW!_

This internal torment eventually burst forth, and Lin cried out, cursing her cowardice, cursing her anxiety, cursing her sheer inability to face her feelings.

For a while she laid there, immobilized, weeping, feeling helpless. But gradually, she felt the fear ebbing away. She remembered all of the hardships she had overcome in life, both alongside Kya and alone. She remembered all the times she was sure she was finished, that she couldn't go on. And she remembered all of the times she rejected that despair and fought on. She had stared down a damn combustionbender! If she was brave enough to fight a psychopath who could create explosions with her mere thoughts, she could handle one conversation.

Strength filled her at that, sweeping away her fears and readying her for an encounter that would irrevocably change her life.

Though the anxiety tried to worm its way back into Lin's mind, it found no purchase. For she had made her choice, and now she was unstoppable. Her will was iron, her mind, resolute. She rose from her bed, and prepared herself for what was to come.

 _Whatever happens, it'll be better than not knowing for the rest of my life_ , she thought.

Or, rather, she hoped.

 **A/N: So, no resolution to the angst just yet :P Guess you'll just have to wait until the next chapter :P on that note, I'm afraid the next update isn't gonna be for a while. From tomorrow (that is tomorrow as of time of writing, which is Wednesday 29** **th** **), I'll be going out on hiking trips probably every day or every other day for a week or so. This means that there probably won't be an update during that time. Sorry :/ But don't worry, I have no intention of abandoning this fic. I will get back to it after my little holiday, and then I might finally give you some fluff :P or not, you'll just have to wait and see ;) Anyway, as always, reviews are appreciated, and by Cthulhu please tell me if there's anything I got wrong. Seriously. It helps a lot, cause at the end of the day if you tell me what I get wrong then my writing gets better, so my future stuff is more fun for you :P**

 **Also, I'm planning my next fic at this point, which will be my take on post Book 4 Korrasami. I intend to have it take place in the same universe as this fic, so events will intersect here and there. If people could let me know, either in reviews or PMs, if they'd like to see this, that'd be great :)**


	4. Chapter 4 - Adolescence, Revisited

**Chapter 4 – Adolescence, Revisited**

 **A/N: Apologies again for slow updating, I think I mentioned I'd be busy but still, sorry :P Anyway, hopefully should be able to update more regularly, although I'm not planning many more chapters tbh… But don't think you've seen the last of my Kyalin just yet! Been waiting to write this one for far too long, hope you enjoy :) and, as always, reviews would be much appreciated ^_^**

 **A/N: Also, thanks again to avatarfanlin, my wonderful beta! My writing's gotten a lot better thanks to you :)**

Staring at her sparse wardrobe, Lin cursed to herself. Like a damn teenager, she was obsessing over what to wear when she met up with Kya. Normally she never wore anything other than her armour, but that wouldn't be good enough today.

No, she needed something relaxed. Something human. Something _normal_.

She couldn't get away with wearing just her tank top and trousers in public, but her options were limited. Aside from those, and her uniform, all the apparel she owned were a few ball gowns that merely hung, accumulating dust, and a few old garments scattered on the bottom of the wardrobe.

Digging through this mess, she eventually found something she would feel comfortable in. It was a brown jacket, warm and comforting yet hardy. Something she had worn when she was much younger.

To her surprise it still fit her fairly well when she tried it on. Heartened by this success, she continued to rummage around in the heap of old clothes until she found some matching trousers, which also still fit perfectly. No-one could ever accuse Lin Beifong of letting herself go, after all.

=x=

When she stepped out into her living room, she was almost a different person. Rather than her customary bun, her hair was tied back into a neat ponytail. Simple, but a refreshing change. Beneath the jacket she wore a dark green shirt which complemented her jacket and trousers nicely.

Inhaling slowly, Lin turned and sat at a table, upon which was a radio communicator. Hand shaking slightly, she lifted the microphone to her mouth. After tuning it for the Air Temple Island communicator frequency, she spoke, praying that it wouldn't be Tenzin who answered.

She still hadn't apologised for the ruckus she'd caused at the wedding.

=x=

Pema happened to be walking past a small side room when she heard something most peculiar. A voice that belonged to someone who, to her knowledge, was not currently on the island.

"Uh, hello? Hello? Air Temple Island, are you receiving?" Lin Beifong's voice inquired haltingly.

It didn't take long at all for Pema to realise that the voice could only be coming from the radio.

Thoroughly confused, the Air Acolyte entered the side room and lifted the microphone, answering Lin's call.

"Air Temple Island receiving. It's me, Pema. Is there something wrong, Lin?" Pema asked.

A rush of static emerged, which Pema realised must have been caused by Lin exhaling before she answered.

"Not exactly. I was just… ah… wondering if Kya was there? I'd like to speak to her." Lin stuttered, in a display of nervousness the mother had never known in the resilient Chief.

Adopting a calming tone, Pema replied. "She's not here right now, but she should be back for around midday. Was there something specific you wanted to tell her? I can pass on a message if that would help."

"Alright. I wonder if you could ask her to meet me in the Avatar Korra Memorial Park today? Sometime about one o'clock?" Lin requested, voice mostly steady. Mostly.

Puzzlement spread across Pema's face, but she knew better than to push for an answer, so she simply promised that she would pass on the message. After Lin thanked her, the younger woman gently added, "I hope you're alright, Lin."

Lin brusquely thanked her before hanging up.

 _That was… weird_ , she thought to herself, writing a note for Kya.

=x=

At around midday Lin made her way to the park, where she hoped Kya would meet her.

Thanks to her nerves, and not wanting to be late, she arrived an half an hour early.

Sat on a bench, she waited, and she worried. The maelstrom that was in her mind spent that half hour imagining all the terrible ways this conversation could end. She tried to form a cohesive plan of action for exactly what she would say, but her tumultuous brain refused to co-operate.

Being so distracted by the pandemonium in her mind, it took Lin a moment to realise when Kya sat quietly on the bench next to her. The realization made her jump slightly.

Flustered and breathless, she managed to splutter out a greeting. "Oh! Kya, hey. Sorry, you, uh, you startled me."

The waterbender let out a small, shy smile before replying. "I noticed. But you did ask me to meet you."

With all the willpower she could muster, Lin calmed herself, and began to explain the reason for the meeting. "I think we need to talk about… what's been happening recently. I said I needed time to think, and I've had it."

The older woman nodded nervously, reluctant to interrupt.

Noticing this, Lin continued. "I'm not gonna deny that the last few days have been fun. There's no point denying it. Especially yesterday – I figure you realise just how much I enjoyed that."

Giggling softly, the waterbender answered. "Well, yeah. You did say so."

"And then you kissed me," returned Lin, cheeks reddening at the memory.

"Guess I did. Was that… did you enjoy that, too?" Kya asked, uncertainty colouring her tone.

For a moment it seemed as though the question would go unanswered, given Lin's lack of response. But this was merely because she needed to prepare herself to ask a question that would send her soaring into happiness or careening into despair.

"Well I did kiss you back, didn't I?" Lin replied sarcastically, before continuing in a more serious tone. "But there's a problem. I don't know what you want from me."

Kya tilted her head, puzzled. "I thought, you know, it'd be obvious."

This was not the response Lin was hoping for, but she boldly persisted. "What I mean is, I don't know if it's just a physical thing, or if it's… something more."

The older woman took Lin's hand in her own, sending a small nervous twitch up the Chief's arm. "I don't like thing that are just physical."

Though the unexpected contact had startled Lin, she soon settled into it, returning a gentle grip on Kya's hand. "Good," she replied. "Me neither."

=x=

They sat there, hand in hand, in a relaxed, though slightly awkward silence for a while. A silence which was eventually broken by a giggle from the older woman. Lin cocked an eyebrow at this.

Kya explained. "Sorry, it's just… It's like being teenagers all over again, isn't it? Awkward silences, making out like there's no tomorrow, you know?"

Lin chuckled softly before she replied. "I hadn't thought of it that way, but you've got a point."

Gazing into the distance, the waterbender began to speak. "We had some good times, didn't we? You were pretty much the best friend I had back then."

The younger woman had something to say about that. "Yeah, right. You were the most popular girl in school. Everyone wanted to be your friend. I never got why you even bothered with me," Lin bitterly complained.

As she responded, Kya tightened her grip on the Chief's hand. "Ha. Yeah. Everyone loved me, didn't they?" She retorted, equally resentful.

Lin's features sharpened into a frown. "Well, it's true. People all wanted to know you, to be just like you. You know, sometimes it felt like you only put up with me because our parents wanted us to be friends!" She ranted, old tensions and insecurities finally breaking out.

These words stung Kya. How could Lin think that she'd be that cold? And it's not like her father had ever paid that much attention to who her daughter spent time with… However, she realised how much this must have eaten away at her closest friend. Bearing this in mind, she chose her next words carefully, and, in a voice shaking with suppressed anger, she responded.

"Lin, I would never spend time with someone for that kind of reason. You're right, I was always the popular girl in school, but believe me, it wasn't all that great. Because all the other 'popular' girls kept trying to tear me down behind my back. And every boy who acted nice was just trying to get into my pants. I'm not joking – none of them were happy just being my friend, they all just wanted to see if they could be the first one the fuck the prettiest girl in the school."

At this, Lin was shocked. The waterbender's rant had altered or completely shattered quite a few misconceptions Lin held about her. This sudden understanding of their childhood years left her ashamed of her own outburst, and she dropped her gaze to the ground, cheeks burning at her idiocy.

Having gotten an age-old frustration off her chest, Kya was rather more relaxed. Noticing her friend's discomfort, she laid her hand on Lin's cheek and gently guided her face until it was level with her own.

Their eyes met as Kya continued. "And through all that, through all the fake friends, all the assholes trying to get laid, there was one person who really cared. One person who was my friend because she cared about me. One person with whom I could be totally honest. Who I could trust with anything. Who would comfort me whenever I needed it. One person, with no ulterior motives, and no lies, no veiled hatred. You were so kind to me, Lin. I don't know how I would've dealt with those years without you."

Within Kya's eyes Lin saw conviction and warmth, and the same light that had always delighted her. Lin had always loved how she seemed to be able to make Kya happy. Though she had always carried her anxiety about her closest friend, about whether she really cared for her, Lin knew, in that moment, that everything they had had was real.

Lin edged closer to Kya, revelling in their proximity, and in the hand resting on her face. Kya noticed Lin efforts and matched them. Soon their sides touched, and their foreheads met.

In this wonderful position, Lin began her own recollection of the old days. "I don't think there's much that needs to be said, really. I think it's obvious you were the closest friend I ever had. And, if I'm honest, there's always been something else in my emotions. Something not quite… friendly. At first I didn't know what it was, and for a while it wasn't too strong. But when you told me about Mei, it hit me. I didn't know women could even like each other in… that way. I got really hopeful when I found out you bend that way too."

She paused, savouring the moment, before continuing. "It hurt when you left, but I don't hold it against you. It was your choice, and probably the right one at the time."

Kya, who had suspected that her escape from the city might be cropping up soon, let out a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding. Though she had been fairly sure Lin had understood, she also knew that she hadn't exactly been happy about losing her best friend. It brought some much-needed relief to the old wound.

Smiling softly, the older woman spoke. "I'm glad you understand. It was hard to leave, but staying wouldn't have been good for me."

Lin gave Kya's hand a slight squeeze before she replied. "Yeah, I know," she said, returning the gentle smile. "But you're here now, with me, and that's what matters right now."

=x=

They sat together for a while, just calmly enjoying each other's presence. As the minutes passed by, however, Kya started to become a bit restless, and more than a touch self-conscious. In the corner of her gaze she noticed some confused and disapproving looks. Even as they sat together, hands linked, foreheads touching, this restlessness was causing some fidgeting in the waterbender.

Lin noticed her companion's discomfort, and a tremor of anxiety shot through her. Leaning back a little, breaking the forehead connection, she decided simply to ask what the problem was, rather than start to make wild assumptions. "You alright? Something wrong?"

"Sort of," Kya replied. "I don't know about you, but I feel a little… I dunno. I think I'd prefer it if we were alone. You know, if we're gonna be this… intimate."

Relieved, Lin nodded. "Yeah, now that you mention it… Might be a good plan."

Grinning, Kya continued. "I think I know the perfect place for us to go next."

They both got to their feet, and the ever-observant Chief noticed a slight change in the demeanour of the woman currently holding her hand. She seemed to relax, and a familiar, mischievous twinkle appeared in her eyes.

So it was no surprise at all to Lin when Kya deftly slipped her hand out of the metalbender's and ran past the statue of the current Avatar.

Giggling with glee, Kya called to Lin. "Did you think this was gonna be easy? If you _want_ me," she paused to give the younger woman a most sultry look indeed, before continuing, "come and get me," she concluded softly, her tone teasing yet also inviting. With that, she began to sprint out of the park.

Grumbling, Lin pursued her prey.

=x=

Through the streets of Republic City they ran, surprising passers-by, market stall owners and even the odd police officer, who invariably displayed visible shock on their faces at the antics of their Chief.

Though Lin had felt only grim determination at the start of the chase, after a few minutes of dashing after the woman she loved, the chase took on a new sensation for her. Exhilaration coursed through her, as well as excitement. Noticing this, she decided not to supress these new feelings, but to embrace them. As these intense feelings of heat and energy burst forth within her, she had to let out a joyful laugh.

Soon Kya was laughing too, and for the last leg of their little game of cat-and-mouse they giggled like schoolgirls. For it was in these moments Lin realised that her physical age couldn't stop her from enjoying her life, even if it was such a childish thing that brought her such delight.

Time slowed down for the Chief. The adrenaline accelerated her mind, allowing her to take in and process everything occurring around her. She saw a Satomobile about to pull in front of her, so she put on an extra burst of speed to pass it. Kya took her along a winding route through many alleyways and quiet streets, hoping to confuse or disorientate her tail.

But Lin Beifong was the Chief of Police of this city. No-one knew its nooks and crannies better than her. With every turn she became more and more certain of Kya's idea of a nice, private retreat. The knowledge brought a razor sharp smirk to her features, and she spurred herself on once more.

Eventually the waterbender slipped into a building on her right. Entering the main hall, she saw a door marked 'Stairs'. She began to run towards it.

But she didn't reach that door.

This was because she had lost a few seconds opening the main entrance, and when she looked behind herself to check on her pursuer, she gasped in surprise at the younger woman's gain on her. This moment of hesitation cost Kya greatly – Lin was moving too quickly to completely stop herself, and so the inevitable happened.

The women collapsed in a heap together for the second time in the past few days, laughter mingling and sweetening the air.

Giddy with the adrenaline of the chase Lin couldn't help herself. As she looked down on the woman beneath her, pure joy radiating from her, Lin had to do it. Leaning in close, she caught the older woman's lips with her own, sending more burning energy rushing through her. Kya fiercely returned the kiss, and for a few moments that lay there, hands roaming freely across each other's bodies, lips vying for supremacy. _Really,_ thought Lin, _this is the best kind of competition. 'Cause even when you lose, you still win._

=x=

Of course, the floor of the entrance hall of Lin's apartment building was still hardly the place for such juvenile behaviour.

Lin ended the kiss as abruptly as she began it, surprising the older woman slightly.

Quickly, she explained. "Sorry, I just realised exactly where we are. Still not the best place for intimacy, I don't think," she teased, as she stood up, offering a hand to Kya.

Gratefully accepting the proffered hand, Kya lifted herself to her feet. Maintaining her grip on the younger woman's hand, she moved towards the door she had failed to reach in time before, pulling Lin along behind her.

=x=

After they arrived they quickly settled in on the couch, in a gentle embrace. Lin leaned into Kya's shoulder, who promptly wrapped her arms around the younger woman. As they lay there, content to simply enjoy the closeness, Kya reached down and gently tugged at Lin's ponytail, until her hair fell loose. This allowed her to run her hand through the metalbender's hair, which she did, in a slow, gentle pattern. Back, and forth. Back, and forth.

Feeling Kya's hands gently caress her hair, Lin felt a sense of calm contentment wash over her. Soothing waves of warmth gently breezed through her with every stroke on her head. She felt her eyelids drooping as she gave herself over to the relaxing sensation. It grew softer, and softer, as each minute in Kya's arms started to bleed together. Before she knew it, she had drifted into the land of dreams.

=x=

Kya couldn't believe her luck. When Pema had passed along Lin's request that morning, she had been filled with dread – she was expecting the Chief would raise the walls again, and shut her out. Yet here she was, on Lin's couch, holding her beloved close. She noticed a slight change in Lin's breathing, and after a moment realised what that meant.

 _She's asleep! Wow, I must be cozy. Then again, this is a very comfortable position. Maybe if I just rest my eyes for a bit…_

And that was how the two women found themselves asleep in each other's arms once again.

But this time, they had truly chosen each other.

 **A/N: So that's that :P This fic is nearly done at this point, however there's still a few more chapters that are needed yet :P it was only gonna be one more, but, hey, I'm not entirely in control of this thing :P It keeps growing and changing, so, yeah.**

 **And, as always, your reviews are much appreciated, good and bad :) thanks to everyone who has reviewed up until now, you people are fabulous xx**


	5. Chapter 5 - Changes

**Chapter 5 – Changes**

 **A/N: Hello again, I'm back from a sudden and unexpected holiday, I seem to be having a few of those… :P Anyway, once again sorry about update times, however I have bad news on that front… I've now moved back to university and am living with friends. The new term starts late September. Internet access is sporadic, hence the delay in updating. Don't worry, I'm gonna keep writing, even once this fic is finished, but updates are gonna be slow :( Thanks once again to all you readers, those who simply read, those who follow, those who favourite and especially those who review. Makes me happy you think my stories are good ^_^ Without further ado, let chapter 5 begin!**

 **Wait, slightly more ado, actually. In case anyone cares, I have now gone back and altered the first chapter a smidge. All I changed were a few typos and breaking up those huge-ass blocks of text, nothing story-related was changed so you don't have to reread it, but if you wanted to, well now you can, without dealing with big blocks of stuff :P okay, ado over :P Onwards!**

For the second time in the past few days, Lin woke up uncharacteristically slowly. Typically her internal clock woke her early in the morning, with no grogginess or bleariness. But then again she didn't typically sleep in the arms of a certain waterbender.

Once again her awakening was slow, as she gradually became aware of her position. Soft arms enveloping her. Legs wrapped up with her own. A hand, woven through her silver hair. Gentle breaths below her ear. The scent of pine.

This time, it was different.

This time, Lin decided to fully enjoy the experience. As the memories of their earlier conversation steadily reassembled themselves in the Chief's mind, she nuzzled into Kya's shoulder, as before, enjoying the calm, contented sensation spreading through her.

=x=

The last rays of evening sunshine were bleeding through the windows of Lin's apartment when Kya finally awoke. Not that Lin was complaining – the older woman was still fun to cuddle even when asleep.

"Mmmm," Kya moaned.

Lin lifted her head to look down at the waterbender as she replied. "Looks like somebody's not used to quite so much exercise," she smirked.

Lifting her hand out of Lin's hair, Kya playfully swatted Lin's shoulder. "Shut up," she whined groggily.

The metalbender leaned in close, wicked grin alighting her features. "Make me…" she whispered huskily.

At this, Kya's eyes seemed to clear, and her focus sharpened. Slowly, she obliged.

Their lips met once again. Slowly, they caressed one another, enjoying the simple feeling of each other's lips. Lin gasped slightly when Kya stroked the scarred side of her face, bringing the kiss to an end.

Immediately, Kya apologised. "Sorry," she said a touch breathlessly, "did that hurt or something? Are they still sensitive?"

Lin shook her head. "No, it's… I guess I just wasn't expecting you to want to touch them," she explained quietly. "I don't mind," she added, blushing slightly. "It's actually kind of nice."

Heartened, Kya resumed her stroking, softly running her fingers up and down Lin's scars, before kissing them top to bottom.

"They're a part of you," Kya whispered, "and I think they're beautiful. They make you look strong, and fierce."

The redness in Lin's cheeks intensified at these words. "You… you really like them?" She asked nervously.

Letting out a soft chuckle, Kya answered, "well if I didn't, I wouldn't have said so, now would I?"

They lay there, in each other's arms, for a little while longer. Eventually, however, Lin's stomach began to rumble.

Grinning, Kya teased Lin gently. "D'aww, guess we're gonna have to get up. Can't have your stomach getting so upset, now can we?"

"Guess we should probably eat, yeah," Lin sighed. He eased herself off of the older woman and stood up, stretching and yawning.

"How long were we even out for?" The younger woman asked.

Gazing out of the window to catch a glimpse of the last fading glow of sunset, Kya responded. "Must've been a few hours. Guess I must be pretty comfortable, huh?" She smirked at that.

"Well… I just feel really… content in your arms, I guess," Lin replied, a shy smile on her burning face as she offered Kya a hand.

Kya pulled herself up with Lin's help, then promptly fell back into the younger woman's arms. "Woah, I think I stood up too fast. Bit of a head rush," she explained, a touch abashed, with her head resting on Lin's shoulder.

Kya could practically _hear_ the smirk forming on Lin's face.

"Daughter of the last Avatar and one of the strongest waterbenders in modern times, and one of the best yourself, able to hold your own with the best of the Red Lotus, and yet you collapse if you stand up too fast?" Lin jested lightly, chuckling as she wrapped her arms around Kya to steady her.

The older woman was grateful that the Chief couldn't see her blushing furiously. After all, she did have a point – the waterbender had performed all sorts of feats of acrobatics and agility in her battles. She couldn't get mad at the younger woman, however – the feeling of being wrapped up in the woman she loved was far too enjoyable. Sadly, her stomach was also singing the song of its people and so she reluctantly broke the embrace.

=x=

The two women meandered towards Lin's kitchen. Rummaging through her cupboards they found a distinct lack of anything edible. Given that Lin would typically have bought food for the weekend on Friday, the absence of edible material was hardly surprising, considering that instead of being a sensible, responsible woman, she had been busy punishing her liver for sheer amusement.

This left them with something of a quandary.

"I didn't realise the almighty Chief of Police had transcended the need for puny mortal indulgences like food," Kya laughed, after searching her fifth empty cupboard.

"Yeah, yeah," the younger woman grumbled, as she leaned against a counter. "Guess we're eating out tonight," she continued, before the implications of that last statement properly hit her with another burst of colour rushing through her face.

The older woman blushed somewhat as well, as some rather indecent thoughts about her sort-of girlfriend sped through her mind before she clamped down on them. _There'll be time for that later_. Customary smirk on her face, Kya replied. "Mmmm, sounds… delicious," she whispered, edging closer.

Lin's breath caught in her chest as the waterbender approached, slowly, enticingly. Letting her eyes roam up and down Kya's body, Lin shuddered with anticipation as Kya gradually closed the distance between them. When their bodies were pressed together by their proximity and their breath mingled, the Chief closed her eyes and waited for what she thought was coming. Kya's hands rested on the counter around Lin, forming a light embrace.

For several seconds Kya merely stood there, her lips inches from the ones she wanted to capture, revelling in the desire building up within them both. Eventually it simply became too much for Lin, who was tired of waiting. She slid one arm snugly around Kya's waist, holding her closer. Her right hand found its way to the back of the older woman's neck. From there she pulled the older woman in. Once again their lips met.

But Kya wasn't the only tease in this relationship.

Lin's lips lightly brushed against Kya's, once, twice, thrice. The older woman moaned in frustration. "Please…" She begged softly. But Lin wouldn't have it. Her kisses remained soft, and gentle, the slightest touches she could make. The frustration was also driving her mad, but it would be worth it if she could achieve her desired goal.

Eventually, Kya couldn't take it anymore. When Lin came in for another kiss, she responded aggressively, pressing her lips on the younger woman's with great force, arching her back slightly over the counter. Lin responded enthusiastically and let loose, pushing back a little. As they devoured each other's lips, Lin found herself being pushed further and further back onto the counter.

When she was practically lying down on it, she brought up her legs and wrapped them around the older woman, pulling her up. Once they adjusted slightly to be sure they would remain stable, Kya wrapped her legs around one of Lin's, who reciprocated the movement. As they continued envelop themselves in each other's mouths, their hips began to shift against each other slightly. The resulting rush of pleasure, though slightly weakened due to their clothed states, still caused both women to moan, and cling tighter to one another.

They continued to explore each other's mouths with tongues and teeth as their hips moved back and forth into each other, every slight movement of their hips triggering another burst of enjoyment. Kya's hand slid under Lin's shirt and up her side, causing the younger woman to gasp and arch her back into the waterbender.

Unfortunately, it was just at this point, when things were about to become extremely enjoyable, that both women's stomachs decided to loudly voice their objections to their current activities.

Lin growled in frustration, whereas Kya dissolved into a giggling fit. This proved to be contagious, and soon both women were in hysterics.

=x=

It took some time before the women recovered from their laughter, but eventually the pangs from their stomachs and Lin's back motivated them to dismount from the counter. While the experience had certainly been enjoyable, being bent over a counter and then laying on said counter with someone else on top did not do Lin's already temperamental back any favours.

"Okay," groaned Lin, her back twinging slightly, "we really do need to find something to eat. That isn't each other," she added before Kya could make another smart-ass comment.

The waterbender pouted. "Guess you're right," she grumbled, trying desperately to think about local eateries as opposed to where her hand had been moments ago. "I think there's a noodle bar not too far from here, apparently they're pretty good," she mused, adopting an exaggerated expression of contemplation.

"Han's No Fuss Noodles," Lin answered, nodding. "Been there a few times, they do a nice vegetable stir fry, and I think they do a few rice dishes, too."

"I didn't know you were a vegetarian, Lin," Kya said, somewhat surprised.

"Hey, just because I like vegetables doesn't mean that's all I eat. I just ordered that meal once and it was better than anything I've had there before, that's all," Lin retorted, without any real venom in her voice.

Tilting her head slightly, Kya accepted this with equanimity.

The older woman held out a hand, which Lin eyed nervously.

Kya noticed this and moved her hand onto Lin's arm gently. "I think I understand, it's okay if you're not ready for us to be public yet," she murmured gently.

A shy smile appeared on Lin's face. "Thanks," she replied, "I guess I'm just a bit nervous, you being the first woman I've ever…" Her speech petered off, yet as always, Kya picked up on the fact that there was more to be said. Sometimes Lin did need a little help expressing her feelings.

"The first woman you've ever…?" Kya echoed.

"Do you really need me to say it?" Lin asked quietly, tensing up a little.

Kya felt this and moved closer, placing her other hand on Lin's shoulder. "To be honest, I'm not sure what it is you're trying not to say…" She confessed. "I can think of a few different ways you could end that sentence."

Lin took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out through her mouth. She repeated this a few times, and Kya thought that maybe some of the tension in the younger woman had eased out. She hoped it had, anyway.

Lifting her gaze, the normally fearless Chief looked into Kya's eyes. As always, she saw compassion, and affection. She knew, from that bright, kind gaze that Kya cared. And she knew, or certainly hoped she did, that Lin could say those last few words without ruining what they were just starting to make together.

"The first woman," she began, voice trembling slightly. "The first woman I've ever loved."

Kya's heart forgot to beat for a second or two.

 _Spirits, she loves me. Holy spirits, she actually loves me!_ Kya's internal voice crowed in delight.

Externally, however, she displayed only shock on her face. Realising that if she didn't respond soon Lin would assume the worst, Kya decided the simplest course of action would be to simply show Lin exactly what she felt.

Raising her hands so that they cupped the younger woman's face, Kya kissed her, once, on the lips, then quickly laid kisses all over Lin's face. When she was satisfied that every area of that beautiful face had received its fair share of love and affection she pressed her forehead to the Chief's and lost herself in that emerald gaze.

"In case I didn't quite make myself clear just now, I love you too," Kya whispered. "I know that you're afraid, and that's okay. I know it's scary to openly date another woman – you worry about what people will say and think. I've been there, and I know how much it sucks. So I promise, I'll never push you into being open about us. If and when you're ready, I'd be proud to tell the whole damn world how I feel about you, but until then, we can keep it quiet."

Once again Lin showed that shy little smile, barely turning up the corners of her mouth. Yet Kya had always loved that smile more than any other.

"Thanks for saying that," Lin began softly, "but I'm not as afraid now. Honestly, I was more scared that you… you know, that you wouldn't… feel the same way. At least not as intensely, anyway."

Kya let her radiant joy display on her face as she replied. "Well, now you know. If we're being totally honest here, I was worried about the same thing."

Lin chuckled softly. "Look at us, worrying about nothing."

The waterbender joined in with the gentle laughter.

A slightly more sombre expression formed on the Chief's face then. "I hope you don't mind if we keep this," Lin gestured at the two of them with her hand before continuing, "to ourselves for a little bit. It's not that I'm ashamed of being with you, it's just…"

Kya's thumb stroked Lin's face softly as she responded. "I know. It's okay, you don't have to worry about it."

The younger woman squeezed the hand resting again her cheek in gratitude. After sharing a chaste kiss with her partner, she lowered Kya's hand from its position and gestured to the door.

"Shall we?"

=x=

The walk to the restaurant was brief. When they arrived they found it in a state of pleasant bustle, with a lot of the tables occupied by chattering groups.

A waiter approached them. Short and slight, he spoke to them in a voice that, in Lin's opinion, was far too deep for so small a man. "A table for two, is it?" He inquired politely.

When Kya affirmed this, he led them to a small table nestled in a booth, affording the two women a hint of privacy to their dining. This waiter was one who was familiar with Lin's preferred dining spot – somewhere relatively out of sight. And so, she found herself very pleased with their position.

Kya wasn't complaining either. After the waiter bustled off to fetch them a pot of tea she expressed her satisfaction, commenting, "Nice to have a bit of space. We might actually be able to talk about… stuff."

Lin quirked an eyebrow. "Just what kind of stuff did you have in mind?" She asked, a hint of flirtation in her voice.

"Well I thought we could revive another old habit that I've come to miss," Kya answered, her usual cocky, self-assured grin spreading. "Gossip."

The Chief sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Really? It's been decades since I've done anything like that," she groaned, though her rebellious brain was already bringing some rather juicy material to the forefront of her mind.

"Oh come on, you think I don't know you miss it?" Kya teased, infuriating Lin by being so insufferably _right_ , as usual.

Lin let out a wordless growl before she spoke again. "I guess it was kinda fun, even if it isn't the nicest thing to do," she responded, irritated yet also a touch excited.

The waterbender waved a hand flippantly. "Oh, you know me, I only talk about the harmless stuff."

"True," Lin acknowledged.

However, before they could get fully underway with the gossiping, the waiter returned with menus and their tea, and so conversation turned to the more immediate matter of food.

The Chief, already knowing what she wanted, barely skimmed the menu.

Kya, on the other hand, took her sweet time. She 'ummm'ed and 'aaah'ed over every single option, torn between many enticing choices.

As Kya frowned over the wide variety of choices, Lin found herself relaxing into the situation. True, the waterbender's indecisiveness was irritating, but that was more than counterbalanced by the fact that they were actually out on a date together.

The Chief found herself admiring the silvery sheen of Kya's hair as it caught the light, her cute expression when she scrunched up her face as she contemplated a potential choice, the sparkle of delight in her eyes when she saw exactly what she wanted to eat, her soft arm, and even softer hands, which had already proven themselves so adept at pushing her buttons… "…Lin? Hello?" Kya asked, snapping the younger woman out of her trance.

Shaking her head slightly, Lin blushed and apologised. "Sorry. I was…" she floundered, trying not to make a fool of herself.

Too late.

The older woman chuckled and grinned cheekily. "I know exactly what you were doing, Lin Beifong," she laughed. "You were undressing me in your head, weren't you?" She continued in a much lower voice, which she knew would drive Lin mad.

As always, she was damn right. Her husky voice had sent a slight shudder through the younger woman, who once again swept her mind for the right words.

"Uhhh, not exactly," she began. "Hadn't quite got to that point yet. Probably would've done if you hadn't said something when you did, though," she added, feeling her cheeks burning.

Kya continued to chuckle, eyes twinkling. "Well then we should probably not think about that just yet, I'd hate for us to get _distracted_ here," she teased, with some rather excessive waggling of the eyebrows.

Lin nodded her acknowledgement, and waved over the waiter.

=x=

The waiter returned and took their orders. Lin, as expected, ordered a vegetable stir fry with noodles, whereas Kya opted for a mushroom dish, served with rice. Complementing the women on their choices, the waiter jotted down their orders on his notepad and left them with their tea.

Kya poured them each a cup of the steaming beverage, as Lin opened the conversation again. "Well if you want gossip, I can give you something pretty interesting," Lin smirked, delighted to be the one in the know.

"Oooooh, for someone who claims not to like gossip you're sure quick to start," Kya quipped, excited.

"Yeah, yeah, you wanna hear it or not?" The younger woman asked, slightly frustrated yet strangely amused. Kya had a habit of provoking that reaction in her.

"Do tell," Kya insisted.

Lin's smirk widened as she began her tale.

"So the morning after the wedding, after I…" she started and then hesitated.

Kya noticed this, and soon realised why Lin was nervous. "Don't worry about that, I get why you left," she reassured her companion.

Clearing her throat, the Chief resumed her narrative. "Thanks. So anyway, just as I left your room, I happened to bump into someone else, who was also leaving someone else's room rather early in the morning…"

"Ooooh, who was it?" the waterbender asked, hooked.

Lin paused to savour her smugness a little longer before spilling the beans. "It was Asami. Leaving the room of none other than our renowned Avatar, Korra!" She revealed, with a hint of melodrama.

Kya gasped in astonishment. "How did you know she came from Korra's room?" She demanded.

"I figured it out, and then I called her as she was trying to come up with an excuse for wandering the halls of the Air Temple at five in the morning," Lin replied.

The older woman snickered. "That poor woman, you must've terrified her out of her wits."

"Well, that was kind of the idea. She couldn't lie, so she had to spill. And she did. Apparently, when you ambushed Korra she was heading out to meet Asami, hence why she bolted so fast."

"That and being around a drunk you," the older woman jested.

Lin scowled before continuing. "Anyway, I told her to treat Korra properly. She said she would, and then she promised not to tell anyone she saw me leaving _your_ room. I mean, it's not like anything was happening at that point, but I'm glad she did."

"You realise she probably told Korra, at least, right?" Kya mused.

"Oh, I don't doubt it, but then she probably expected I'd tell you about those two anyway, so I think it's fair enough," Lin replied.

The waterbender then gasped in realisation. "So their little vacation to the Spirit World…"

The Chief nodded. "Yup. I actually saw them while I was helping shift the debris. They were holding hands. So I think it's safe to say they're together."

"Awww, they'll make an adorable couple, I bet," Kya gushed, delighting not only in the gossip itself but that it was Lin she was doing the gossiping with. It wasn't as though they never did this in their younger years, but it still brought along a sense of nostalgic enjoyment nonetheless.

=x=

At that point, the waiter returned once again, bearing two steaming bowls. He set the appropriate bowls in front of the women and expressed his hope that they enjoy the meal.

As soon as he walked away, both women eagerly dug into their meals. Lin's vegetable dish came served with a lovely soy sauce, and she quickly went through it.

Kya's meal was equally enjoyable, though she seemed determined not to be confined only to one meal. Every so often, to Lin's growing frustration, Kya would reach out with her chopsticks and pluck a single piece of vegetable matter from her bowl.

Of course, Lin knew better than to play into Kya's trap and show her irritation, so she kept it under control.

Whenever the older woman's gaze shifted away from her plate, such as when one of the waiters tripped and dropped several bowls, which promptly shattered, Lin would quickly pluck a single mushroom or grain of rice from Kya's bowl, waiting until the waterbender's gaze returned to her before eating it.

Mock outrage exploded on Kya's face, and the two women spent most of the remainder of their meal stealing each other's food, giggling.

Eventually, their bowls were empty and their bellies were full. Having finally sated their hunger, the women were now free to enjoy their time together without the fear of rowdy organs. They asked for the bill, which they split, Lin paying slightly less but making up for it with a generous tip. Financial matters attended to, they sidled out of the restaurant and, by unspoken agreement, headed back to Lin's apartment.

=x=

On the walk back, Kya continued the chain of gossip with something she observed at the wedding itself. "So you remember Mako came up to us while we were drinking?" She asked.

Lin snorted. "Yeah. Good kid, bit of an idiot. What was he thinking, trying to work security at a party, while he was a guest, with his damn arm in a sling?"

Laughing, Kya replied. "Not the sharpest tool in the shed, I'll give you. But I noticed after he left, he tried to start moving people out, separating them from their drinks. Ten minutes later he's on the dancefloor. And you'll never guess with who."

"Go on, then. Who was he with?"

Kya pouted. "Come on, Lin, at least try and guess!"

The Chief sighed. "Fine. It's not gonna be Korra or Asami, and I can't think of anyone else he's likely to be dancing with." She then checked herself, realising she may have made too many assumptions. "When you say dancing…"

"I mean hands-on-waist, barely-any-space-between-each-other kind of dancing."

Lin frowned. "Can't think of anyone. Come on. Spill."

"Sure thing, Chief," the older woman joked. "None other than our mighty Prince Wu."

This answer was so unexpected even the Chief was shocked, as her jaw dropped when she heard the name of the officer's dance partner.

"Is it just me," Lin began, still rather bemused, "or is the closet just throwing everyone out at once? I had no idea Mako bent that way."

"I know what you mean. From the look on his face, I'd say he didn't either," Kya responded. "But he was definitely into it. After that song stopped, he left, and Wu was hot on his tail. Who knows how that ended?"

Shaking her head, Lin let out a noise halfway between a sigh and a chuckle.

Meanwhile, the waterbender continued her musings about the recent emptying of the closet. "Still can't believe it. Five people in the space of one weekend. And here I was thinking I was the only one who was like that."

"Wait, who's the fifth? I know there's Korra and Asami, and Mako and Wu, who else is there?" Lin inquired, confused.

Kya giggled. "You, genius," she laughed, a laugh that only grew into more at Lin's embarrassed expression.

 _Oh, right. Forgot she had no idea. Nice one, Chief._

The older woman grew a touch more subdued with her next comment. "I always assumed you were like the others," she confessed. "That's why I never said anything. I'm glad I was wrong," she finished warmly.

Slight spots of scarlet bloomed on the younger woman's cheeks. "Yeah, I can understand that. But to be honest, I never thought about it, aside from when I had those feelings for you. I don't really have a name for it, and as far as I'm concerned I love you and that's all that matters," she said, feeling rather self-conscious towards the end of her little speech.

Kya's smile widened, even as she blushed at hearing those three words. "You're right, and I don't generally have a word for it either. I'm just happy," she took Lin's hand and squeezed, "that you feel the same as me."

To Kya's surprise, Lin tightened her grip on the waterbender's hand when she tried to withdraw it. The waterbender smiled again, and they continued on their journey, hand in hand.

It wasn't exactly a happy announcement, but it was a start.

 **A/N: I recently started shipping Wuko, hence why I slipped a little in there :P don't worry, non-shippers, it won't be a big thing. Anyway, thanks for reading, if you wanted to be an absolute star you could leave a review :) there's still more I want to do, though, so although this might seem like an end, it isn't. I'll tell you when it ends :P**

 **See you next time!**


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